Assembling and banding mechanism.



G. WALKER. LING AND BANDING MECHAMSNI. LlcATmN man FEB. 2u. 1911.

ASSENIB APP Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

MM Nm. NN QN NN NN G. l. WALKER. MBUNG AND BANDNG MECHANISNI. APPLICATION man F5318. 1917.

ASSE

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

GEORGE I. WALKER, OF

`OF ERVING, MASSACHUSETTS,

MASSACHUSETTS.' f-. i l

ASSEMBLNG AND BANDING MECHANISM.

To all 'whoml it may concer-n.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE WALKER, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Orange, in the county of Franklin and ComL monwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in an Assembling and Banding Mechanism, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawing, is a specification.

The present invention relates to a mechanism for assembling articles in bunches or stacks, and for applying a vretaining band to cach stack so assembled. More particularly, the invention is concerned with the treatment of iat iiexible articles of sheet form, such as sheets of paper, tissue, or the like, and I have shown, for purposes of illustration such a mechanism as applied to the assembling and banding of paper napkins, or paper towels, which are ordinarily quite flexible and have presented heretofore numerous obstacles to their efficient and rapid assembling and banding.

The invention resides in the provision of' mechanism designed for continuous and rapid operation on the sheets as they emerge from the cutting devices, to assemble them in stacks or bundles containing the desired number of sheets, and to apply a retaining band to each stack or bundle thus formed, without any stoppage in the progress of said sheets through the machine. The above and other objects as will appear hereinafter are attained by the mechanism which is set forth in the following description, reference being had in this connection to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a side view of a portion of the same viewed in the direction of the arrows A, A, Fig. 1.

. Fig. 3 is a transverse line 3 -3, Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Fig. El, illustrating different periods in the operation of the banding devices.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Referring first to Fig. 1, there is shown at the right hand end thereof a sheet conveying mechanism of ordinary construction which is employed for advancing the sheets, as they come from the cutting devices, to the assemsectional view on the bling and banding instrumentalities of thc machine. 1n this connection itI is 'to be unpeccation of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 2B. 1917.

rammed Nev. iai-isis. seria1No.i51,452.

derstood that in the iminufactur'eiof articles. such as paper napkinsandtowels, it is customary to employ multiplecut-ting devices which sever transversely along lines a, a, a plurality of superposed supply webs, and other devices which severfsuch webs longitudinally along lines I), l), so that the product of the cutting operation .lisa plurality of piles of sheets arranged inV rows, such as shown at 1, 1, Fig. 1, each `pile`containing, for example, twenty-five sheets,l that-is, the number of supply webs cutatwo'ne time. IThe piles 1, 1, are advanced, rafterflthecutting opera-tion on conveying :tapes 2,: 2,' which pass around rolls 3, 3, andform an endless traveling conveyer on which lthe rowsl of piles l, 1, may be spacedapproximately a distance equal to the width" of one of said rows, as shown in Fig. 1;: The endless traveling conveyer so constituted -is supported in a framework 4 and driven from a belt pulley 5 on the shafty of oneof'the rolls 3,'the latter having a belt connection 6 adapted to transmit power to a shaft 7 of the. assembling mechanism hereinafter described, through a variable speed drive mechanism designated as a whole by the numeral 8.

To this end, the belt Gidrives a shaft 9 having a. frusto-conical pulley 10 thereon which drives Athrough a belt 11. va correspond.- ing frusto-conical pulley 12 on shaft 13. The belt 11 is movableaxially of said pulleys 10 and 1:2v by means of a fork 14 carried on adjusting screws` 15 and thus the speed of shaft 7, which is connected by bevel gears 16 to shaft 13 is variable at will.

The shaft 7 of the assembling mechanism is carried in a framework 17 and has afroll 18 thereon around which passes an endless traveling beltld operating at right. angles to the tapes of the conveying.mechanism and passing at its other end around a roll 2() supported in the framework 17. Thetop of the. belty 1S) is adapted to receive the piles of sheets 1, 1. from the conveying mechanism. and to this enda plurality of swinging arms 21 are carried .on a rock shaft "2:2, the latter supported,A transversely of theI framework 4 adj attentato `framework 17 and having a pinion thereon which is in mesh with a sliding rack 2l. The reciprocation. of

forwardly after a row arrived at the end of the conveying mechanism, to deposit said piles face downwardly on the surface of endless traveling belt 19. The arms 2l are then returned to horizontal position between the tapes 2, 2, ready to operate in a similar fashion upon the next row of piles 1, 1, arriving thereover on said tapes.

As herein shown, each transverse row of piles 1, 1 on the conveying tapes 2, 2, is made up of four piles,l which vare transferred simultaneously b v the arms 21 to the surface of the belt 19 which travels'at right angles to said tapes. The rows of piles 1, 1, each containing. for example. twenty-five sheets. are so spaced apart on the conveying mechanism, and the speed of belt 19 is so reduced` that said belt advances a distance equal tothe width of a pi'le 1 between each transferring operation as effected by arms 21. In

other words, assuming that the operation of the mechanism has been started, and that the arlns 21 are about to effect a transfer of the piles 1` 1, superposed thereon. there will be, after such transfer` one pile at the right hand end of the belt, Fig. 1, in the location i0, two piles at three piles at y. and four piles at s. Then the. next row of piles 1, 1, is transferred by varms 21, the belt 19 will have moved a distance equal to the width of one pile, so that the four piles at f: are carried beyond the conveying mechanism, the piles of three, two, and one each at y, and w, respectively, each having an additional pile superposed thereon. In this fashion. the endless belt 19 is caused to carryY forward to the banding mechanism, as hereinafter described, stacks of sheets each containing four of the piles 1, 1, advanced by the conveying tapes 2. that is, each stack of sheets reaching the left hand end of belt 19 is one hundred thick. assuming that the piles 1, l. are twenty-five thick.

A framework 26 in alinement with framework 17 supports` adjacent the roll 20 a roll 27 which is driven by belt connection 2S from the shaft of a main driving pulley 29. Passing around roll 27 are three endless belts, a center belt 30 and two side belts 31, the same constituting a traveling supporting surface in the same plane as belt 19 to receive and carry forward the stacks of four piles each advanced thereby. The center belt 30 passes at the other end of framework 26 around a horizontal roll 32. which is preferably somewhat lower than the roll 27.

the upper surface of belt 30 thus constituting an inclined supportfor the centers of the stacks 33 advanced thereon.- The side belts 31 pass around vertical rolls 34, 34. immediately in the rear of roll 32. said belts having their surfaces twisted or turned fully 9()O in a complete traverse, to accomplish this result., whereby-the contacting surfaces of said belts, owing to the closeness of rolls 34, 34, form gradually converging guiding walls, as adapted to gradually bend into substantially U-form, as

substantially vertical shown at 35, each stack it approaches rolls 31. The center of each each side of the center are turned upwardly,

as shown at 36, the stack passing between rolls 3-t in this form, and being so maintained, after passage. between said rolls by a pair of angular guides 36, disposed directly over roll 32.

The speed of belts 30 and 31, 31, is somewhat faster than that of belt 19, so that the stacks thus acted upon are spaced apart as shown in Figs. l and Each stack 33, in substantiallv U-forni as itpasses between guides 36, 36, is to have a retaining band applied thereto, and to this end the framework 26 supports, in frontI of said guides, a magazine 37, in which are laid Hatwise a stack of endless retaining bands 38, each of such a size or length as to snugly encircle oneI of the stacks 33 when the sheets of the latter lie flat. The bottom of the stack of bands 33 is supported on a movable plate 39 having extensions 40 at each end which project through vertical slots #t1 in the end walls of the magazine 37. said plate 39 being urged upwardly by a constant force, such as weights 42 hanging from cords 43 which are attached to said extensions 10'. In this way the uppermost band 38 is pressed against retainingr and separating devices 44 of any well known form at the top of the magazine, and it will be clear that upon each removal of a band from the top of the magazine the remaining bands will be moved upwardly and held against devices 44 with a constant pressure.

The framework 26 provides a Apivotal support 45, Fig. 2, for a swinging pickup device -l6, the latter having its end 47 in position to descend at. intervals into contact with the center of the uppermost band 38, as shown in Fig. 3. he pick-up device 46 is made hollow, and has a suitable flexible connection -18 witha suction agency, such as a pump, not shown, so that the end 47 when in the position shown in Fig. 3. seizes upon the band 38 b v suction and separates it froni the remaining bands in the magazine. The. piek-up device 46 is oscillated through a link 49. pivotally connected at 50 to a swinging lever 51 which is acted upon by cam 52 on shaft 53, the latter having a belt connection 5+ with the shaft of roll 27. A spring 55 maintains the lever 51 in contact with said cam, so that the pick-up device is moved from its band engaging position, Fig. 3, to the position shown in Fig. 4, in which the uppermost band. seized at the center of its topsurface by the suction pick-up, becomes distended in substantially rectangular outline by the elevation of the piek-up, and is thus opened up to inclose a space which is more than large enough to receive the stack 33 in U-form at that time passing between guides 36.

As each stack in U -form is advanced through the guides 36, by the belt 30, toward the opened up band as shown in Fig. 4, the forward end thereof has a tendency to spread out, as shown in Fig. by reason of passing beyond the forward portions ot' said guides. The forward portions of said guides are preferably made with diverging surfaces, to facilitate this action, so that finally the stack attens out into contact with the corners 57, 57, of' the open band, and the weight of said Stack pulls the band away from the end 47 of the suction device, as shown in Fig. 5, approximately coincident with the movement of said stack from between the guides 36. This movement allows the stack to iatten out gradually, thereby causing its snug inclosure by the band, just as it is received on an endless conveying belt 58 employed to conduct it away from the banding mechanism to a table or other support, not shown, on which the assembled and banded stacks are adapted to be received. The conveying belt 5S passes around rolls 59 and 60 journaled in the framework 26, the roll 60 being driven by a belt connection 61 with shaft 53.

AI claim,

l. In a machine of the class described the combination with banding mechanism for stacks of flexible sheets, of means for advancing successivev stacks to said banding mechanism, said advancing means progressively imparting a U-form to each stack as it approaches said banding mechanisnnand means for disposing a distended endless band in the path of each stack.`

2. In a machine of mechanism for advancing successive stacks of flexible sheets comprising a traveling support on which said stacks are received in Hat form. means for progressively imparting a U-form to each stack as it is advanced by said traveling support, and means for disposing a distended endless band in the path of each stack.

3. In a machine of the class described, mechanism for advancing successive stacks of' flexible sheets comprising a plurality of endless belts traveling in unison, and conthe class described,-

stituting at one end a flat surface for the reception of said stacks, certain of' said belts at their other ends being disposed substantially at rightl angles to said flat surface, whereby to progressively impart a U-form to each stack as it is advanced by said belts in combination with means Jfor interposing a distended endless band in the path ot' each stack, to receive said stack, in U-form, in the space inclosed by said band, said advancing means operating to release each stack, when encircled by said band, to cause its llattening out by gravity.

4. ln a machine ot' the class described, means for distending an endless retaining band, and means for advancing a stack ofl flexible sheets held in U-torm, into the space inclosed by said band, and for thereafter permitting said stack, by gravity, t0 fiatten out.

' 5. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding successive stacks of liexible sheets, held in U-form, means for interposing a distended endless band in the path of each stack, to receive the same inthe lspace inclosed thereby, and means for releasing each stack, to flatten out, by gravity, when encircled by said band.

6. In a machine of the class described, means for seizing and elevating one side of an endless band, whereby the band, by gravity7 is distended vertically, t0 define a space.v and means for advancing a stack of flexible articles, heldin U-form, into said space, whereby the release of said stack7 to allow the'same to flatten out, by gravity, strips said band away from said seizing and elevating means.

7. In a machine of magazine containing a stack of flattened endless bands, a suction pick-up for seizing and elevating the central portion of the top surface of each uppermost band of the stack, to distend said band, means for adA vancing a stack of flexible articles, held in U-form, into the space inclosed by each distended band, and means for releasing said stacks to flatten out by gravity, whereby to strip the bands from the suction pick-up.

Dated this Qird day of February, 1917.

GEORGE I. WALKER.

the class described, a

Witnesses:

Lewis L. CLAFLIN, COLEMAN H. WAITF.. 

